I can almost guarentee that the HO models of the ACe’s won’t look like the pics they have posted. Those are the O scale models that they produced… You can not go by them pics and judge the engine.
Maybe someone can get MTH to make a Yellowstone. They would make a fortune.
GASP!!!
WE FINALLY WILL GET A SD70ACe???
HOLY COW!
Well, take a look at the pic…it does have a Kadee (or a clone) on it…
Phil
Hi all,
The SD70ACe shown in the catalog is DEFINITLY an MTH O scale model, not an HO prototype. MTH makes most of their “Premier” line engines with a feature they call Proto 3-2. All of these engines will run on either 3-rail O gauge or 2-rail O scale track. However, you still select either a scale or O-gauge version when ordering. The 3-rail versions are delivered with the oversized couplers and flanges and with truck mounted pilots. The 2-rail O scale versions come with scale flanges, a McHenry scale coupler, and frame mounted pilots…
There are a few other tip offs that belie the engine’s scale. The real clincher it is the track. Look at the photo of the CSX engine on page 12 of the catalog. The track is a 30-inch piece of 3-rail MTH ScaleTrax flex track that has had its center rail removed. If you look closely at the left hand edge of the photo you can see a couple inches of rail overhanging the last tie. I’m currently building a large layout for a client with this track so I’m VERY familiar with its details.
As for the missing snowplow, if MTH follows their standard practice from O-gauge/scale, the plow will be included in the box as a separate piece. You can choose to install it or not. In the case of the UP Heritage engines the O-gauge/scale plows were painted body color rather than black per the prototype.
Dave,I hope you are right.I like those brutes and the models they show has many detail errors that I can point out and I am far from being a “locomotive guru”.
Will the MTH SD70Ace need the MTH DCC controller to work or will it function properly on NCE or Digitrax? I heard before that MTH requires their DCC system for the loco to perform correctly. If that is the case, that would make it a little less desired…hopefully putting a little flame under T55 to get their locos out.
Hi leejax01,
This same bad info keeps getting circulated in HO circles. I’m not sure how it got started but it keeps coming back up. I own two of the MTH K4’s and a Triplex and I have a GS-4 on order, so I’m quite familiar with the their product. EVERY MTH HO ENGINE EVER MADE WILL RUN ON DCC! I run mine using an NCE system and they run beautifully.
MTH’s proprietary system, DCS (Digital Command System), is one of two competing systems in the 3-rail O-gauge side of the hobby. To try and keep everybody happy MTH made their HO engines run on both DCC and DCS. And they did a really good job of making it simple. If you run their engines on a conventional DC layout, a DCC layout, or a DCS layout the engines automatically recognize what mode they need to be in. You don’t have to throw any switches or do any progamming to move from one layout to another.
Yup, every MTH HO locomotive will run on DCC, but will the user be able to program an alternate speed table to allow this locomotive to MU with other manufacturers? MTH went through the trouble to make a smaller dual mode decoder, but inquiring minds want to know if they did it right.
These locomotives are a natural to MU with a host of other late model locomotives. It would be silly to expect DCC operators to reprogram speed tables of their entire fleet to match the speed of the up to this time non-compliant MTH decoder.
Regards,
Jerry Zeman
Personally, I have no need for a SD70ACe that has smoke. If I were to purchase an MTH ACe, I will remove the smoke unit, speaker and decoder and hard wire a Lenz decoder in provided the ACe is correct for the BNSF. Remember there are approximately 12 different variations of the ACe in current use. The UP heritage units are two entirely different versions when place next to the others. The UP has three different variations alone as does the BNSF. If you place UP’s newest ACe’s next to the BNSF’s newest ACe’s they will be entirely different.
Charlie
What I am wondering is on the the SP daylight cars will all the companies releasing them get the colors correct? Or will they make all of them different so you cannot miss match the different companies cars? I wonder if the colors will all look the same…
SO if you bought the BLI daylight engine and the MTH daylight cars would they match? Or would you have to have the MTH engine with the daylights cars to have them match?
RRRRRRRrrttTTTTT!! My mind comes to a screeching halt. The ACe will have a smoke unit in HO?
I thought someone was talking about one of the steamers with smoke. This might actually look a little silly unless the smoke is blown up with a force stong enough to simulate the prototype. Smoke that just kinda drifts up will look toyish I think. Do you all agree?
No sign of a standard DC version, or did I miss something?
Hi again,
Here we go again Jerry[:)]. What do you mean by “non-compliant?” Compliant with whom? They’re following NMRA’s standards. Should they comply with less advanced decoders that don’t use optical speed control and consistent factory speed maps?
Why would it be silly to expect DCC users to re-program the speed maps of their engines? You’ve said you already do that anyway. Why not use an MTH engine as your benchmark for speed mapping. That way you can have all your engines all running in scale mile per hour increments. Lets face it, if the patent office hadn’t been dumb enough to give MTH a patent on smph most decoder manufacturers would have exploited that idea by now. It’s a natural. At least if you buy an MTH engine you know exactly what you’re getting. You know you’ll be able to MU with any other MTH engine without any programming at all, and you’ll be able to MU with other manufacturers engines once you’ve mapped them. MTH “did it right” and saves you the trouble of re-programming their engines.
Let’s just agree to dissagree as to what “doing it right” means.
Well…YES I believe the concept is called backward compatibility. All I’m asking to see here is the ability to have a choice on how I want to program a decoder, not have the man with the Napoleon complex tell me how I have to do it.
Why would I want to use the MTH engine as my “master” to speed calibrate every engine in my roster? I run my HO railroad with a max speed of 40 smph. If I recalibrate my locomotives to match the MTH locomotive, that means that I will provide the operators at my proto-op sessions the ability to race around the railroad at a far faster rate than I want t
All mth locos smoke units are synchronized with the sound and the rotation of the wheels. Their system is very realistic when it comes to their smoke units. Most will argue they have the best smoke units in the business. I personally love them
I don’t believe mth is telling you how to do it, but just giving you more choices. Why is there such animosity towards mth in the ho melding world?
Im sure if the ace gets a smoke unit it will no doubt have a fan driven one just like it’s o gauge counter part. Their fan driven smoke units are syncronized with the reving of the diesel engine. They look awesome at slower speeds and in neutral. I personally don’t care for the look when a model diesel is hauling ass with smoke. Just doesnt look prototypical to me.
Because they’re pushing their DCS as opposed to DCC?
I think the mix up on mth not running on plain dcc got confused because from what I heard their system dcs will not run other dcc locos. I actually mixed this up myself in thinkning it was their locos not working with other dcc systems.